Sunday, October 30, 2011

Art, Artist and Advocate






Native artist Gordon Coons, ended his exhibit at The Edge Center in Bigfork on Friday with five classes at the Bigfork School during the day and a reception in the evening. His abilities in traditional American Indian art impressed visitors. He sold more paintings than any previous individual artist who exhibited at the Edge Gallery. One of Coons’ paintings may be part of the Edge’s permanent collection.

Gordon Coons, because of his Ojibway and Ottawa heritage, has chosen to work in the Eastern Woodland and the Ledger styles. He is a self-taught artist, now living in Minneapolis, and is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe of northern Wisconsin.

His student classes started with 14 Native American students from Grand Rapids and then included several grades from the Bigfork School. The talks he gave after the classes helped students and other visitors understand what lies behind his color and symbol choices.

The evening reception was well attended. A special thanks to Karen Ferlaak for bringing Gordon’s work to the gallery and the whole gallery committee for their help in making it such a success. We hope to see Gordon Coons back for a return show in the future.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

“Will you be my tree? … my baseball glove? ...my stuffed snake?”


There will be auditions for a special play at The Edge Center in Bigfork on November 1st and 2nd Between 5-7pm. It is for a new play that won last year’s Obie (Off-Broadway) prize for Best New Play. It is about a group of regular townspeople doing strange, bizarre and weird things on stage in a small town class. The EdgeWild Players will produce Circle, Mirror, Transformation, which is a sharply funny new play by playwright Annie Baker.

The play follows five people through a summer of “creative drama” in their small towns’ adult acting class. Led by their bohemian acting coach, the five experiment with harmless theatre games that unexpectedly lead to poignant discoveries about themselves and each other. Circle, Mirror, Transformation, is surprisingly funny and subtly insightful. It is a revealing play that reminds us why theatre is the most human of all arts.

There is a need for two males around 60 and 48 years old, two women 55 and 35, and one girl 16 years old. Performances will be February 16-19th 2012.

The EdgeWild Players invite anyone who would like a chance to pretend to be a tree, baseball glove or lots of other things, to try out for this play. It will be fun.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Meet Native Artist Gordon Coons





There will be a reception for artist Gordon Coons at The Edge Center gallery in Bigfork from 5 to 7 PM on Friday, October 28. The reception is open to the public at no charge. This exceptionally colorful exhibit of his work is on display during October and Saturday October 29 is the last day it will be shown.

Gordon Coons is of Ojibway and Ottawa heritage. He is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe of northern Wisconsin and now lives in Minneapolis. Gordon Coons is a self-taught artist, creating works in a variety of mediums including linoleum block print, acrylic, pen and ink, and stone and wood carving. Although his artwork is more contemporary, each piece portrays a unique view of traditional native stories, incorporating strong family influences into the image.

Gordon's art has been shown around the country, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

What Really Happens at Deer Camp?






This is not real life and is not really what goes on in a deer camp…right? But, if you hunted deer at a “shack” in northern Minnesota you probably have heard someone mention the stuff that goes on in Deer Camp, The Musical. If you are a significant other who “keeps the home fires burning” while your “other” hunts from a deer shack, this show might raise an eyebrow or both. If you are neither and just want to get some good belly laughs and hear some good music, this show is for you too. It was on stage at The Edge Center in Bigfork last night. It will be shown again today Sunday October 16 at 2 PM. Deer Camp, The Musical is presented by Great North Show Providers and not the local Edge Wild Players. If you want to go, tickets are available at the door and cost $26.00.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Cars and Art in Bigfork





It can be easy for vintage car lovers to relate to art since vintage cars and art take lots of love and work to complete, and when finished, appreciative audiences welcome both. That combination happened in Bigfork at The Edge Center for the Arts Saturday October 8. Some 38 members of the Paul Bunyan Vintage auto Club made Bigfork one of its stops on a northern Minnesota fall color tour. Though many of the leaves had turned already they got to see some bright and colorful art being exhibited by native artist Gordon Coons. The club also got a chance to see the center's performing arts theater and hear about the center’s colorful history. The current gallery exhibit is Gordon Coons: Language of Color From My Inner Voice and runs until October 29 on Thursday through Saturday 10 AM until 4 PM with a closing reception on October 28 at 5 PM. There is no charge for gallery admission.

Marcie Lindgren gave the tour and did an on-stage description of The Edge Center and made the cookies. Some of the tour group wanted the recipe. Here it is.

AUNTIE MARCIE’S
CRANBERRY-PUMPKIN COOKIES


INGREDIENTS:

½ CUP BUTTER/MARG. SOFTENED
1 TSP. BAKING SODA
1 CUP WHITE SUGAR
½ TSP. SALT
1 TSP. VANILLA
1 CUP CRANBERRIES (I USED DRIED)
1 EGG
1 TSP. CINNAMON
1 CUP PUMPKIN
1 TBLSP. ORANGE ZEST (I USED A GRATED
2 -1/4 CUPS FLOUR FRESH ORANGE)
2 TSP. BAKING POWDER
½ CUP WALNUTS

MIX ALL TOGETHER – DROP BY TSP.
BAKE 375 DEGREES FOR 10-12 MINUTES

THE RECIPE DIDN‘T CALL FOR ICING HOWEVER I ADDED THAT LITTLE TREAT.
PWD. SUGAR MIXED WITH A TAD OF WATER AND A TAD OF ALMOND FLAVORING

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Laugh Your Antlers Off



The Edge Center is doing something new…again! Another organization, NOT the local EdgeWild Players, is using the theatre to present their musical. Great North Show Providers is bringing Deer Camp, The Musical to the folks in the heart of deer hunting, north Itasca County! This is the original cast from Bemidji. Written by Gene Jurek with music by Doug Spartz, this show takes four buddies from Elmwood, mixes in plenty of cold beer, lots of songs, a hunting shack, and the only ones safe in the woods are the deer! For years, these mighty hunters have spent all their time in the "hunting" shack doing nothing but shooting the bull and sipping some suds. But this year they have a problem. The guys are under a threat from their wives to "bring home a deer instead of a hangover". What to do to solve this dilemma-shoot one? Buy one? Steal one? They try everything with hilarious results! "Performances are Saturday, October 15 at 7:00 and Sunday, October 16 @ 2:00. Tickets are $23.00 in advance, $26.00 at the door and are available by calling 218-536-0589.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Language of Color Fom My Inner Vioce


A very colorful and special exhibit of art is at The Edge Center gallery until October 29. On October 28 there will be a free closing reception with the artist from 5 to 7 PM. The exhibit is titled Gorden Coons: Language of Color From My Inner Voice. The artist, Gordon Coons, because of his Ojibwa and Ottawa heritage, has chosen to work in the Eastern Woodland and the Ledger styles of Native American art.

His heritage is Ojibwa from Lake Superior Chippewa Band of Wisconsin (from his father) and Ottawa from Michigan (from his mother). He is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe of northern Wisconsin, who now lives in Minneapolis.

Coons is a self-taught artist, creating works in a variety of mediums including linoleum block prints, paintings, pen and ink, and carvings in stone and wood. Although his artwork is more contemporary, each piece portrays a unique view of traditional native stories, incorporating strong family influences into the image.

Native American art, in general, depicts spiritual power and uses spirit lines that often radiate from the spines of animals or emanate from both the interior and the exterior of animal or human figures.

Coons’ block prints and paintings are often in the Eastern Woodland style. Elements that identify Woodland Art, in particular, are:
1. Figures that are outlined and look like X-rays (animals, fish, birds, plants, and humans).
2. Balls or seeds of spirit power, which often float within the picture, circles, which represent the sacredness of the circle in Aboriginal spirituality.
3. Simple forms outlined in black filled with bright colors that reflect the mood of the painting.

Some of Coons’ acrylic paintings are in the Ledger Art style associated with Plains Indians. It is called that because it is painted on antique ledger paper, the newest of which Coons uses is from 1913. Gordon Coons explains, ”In my ledger art I use the wolf/coyote in his role as a trickster. As with the trickster, I add a component of humor.”

Gordon Coons has been showing artwork at juried shows around the country, including Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C, Indian Art Northwest of Portland, Trail of Tears in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and Red Cloud Art Show in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He has won numerous recognition awards in graphics/prints categories since he started showing his work in 1998. His works have become part of many permanent collections of institutions around the country.

Coons has been an artist-in-residence at multiple schools in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. He will be working with the students of Bigfork School on October 28.